Why does nasal congestion make me snore?

We have all experienced a terrible night sleep during a cold or allergy season. The congestion and mouth breathing results in a significant amount of difficulty going to sleep and frequent awakenings throughout the night. Nasal congestion actually causes an increase in the velocity and turbulence of the airflow. We have all seen what happens when we narrow the opening of the garden hose by putting our thumb over the opening. The narrowed opening causes an increase in the velocity of the water flowing. This same basic principle is true when we have nasal obstruction as well. The suction of air into our nose being forced through the congested nasal airway makes the airflow much more rapid. When the rapid air reaches the back of our throat the collapsible structures which include the soft palate, tonsils, and base of tongue will vibrate significantly producing snoring. In addition to snoring the airway may actually collapse because of this rapid airflow going through this collapsible segment in our throat. This collapse, which is called apnea, will wake us up out of deep sleep into a lighter level of sleep. The lighter level of sleep does not provide the physical or mental rest necessary to feel good and perform well the next day. If a patient has chronic nasal congestion, and associated chronic episodes of apnea, it is likely they will develop significant associated medical issues such as heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes. Specialists which focus on the ear nose and throat can perform a thorough evaluation of your nasal congestion complaints. Correction of these complaints provide significant benefit during the daytime and during exercise but will also have a very positive effect on reducing snoring and reducing the risk of apnea. Put simply, correcting your chronic nasal congestion, can provide a much higher quality sleep. Daniel Slaughter, MD